Chapter 9

Snek was about to slither forward until Garou caught his shoulder gently. Snek turned. "Kick his ass!" was all what was said. He nodded and went into the middle of the room. Amai took his time to enter; he was in no rush for this. He stood on the opposite side of Snek, smirking.

"I can't believe you are actually going to go through with this! Embarrassing yourself in front of the S Class and your new friends!" he said.

Snek gave a small defiant hiss. "Shut up and show me what you got!"

"READY!" called Genos. "BEGIN!"

Amai was fast, too fast to see. Snek could feel his movement through the floor, but couldn't react in time to the blows. He felt a strike come across his back, then the tip of his tail was stepped upon, then, he blow across the face! Snek flew across the ground, but got back up again quickly, just as Amai nearly landed an infamous one inch punch! "You got this Snek!" called Hunter.

Snek got up once more. Amai was toying with him! "I am not impressed," he said. "No wonder M Class has no rank system. You would have been at the bottom of that too…"

OOF!

Amai was hit!

He stumbled back as Snek landed a two handed snake biting thrust technique! He still uses his old combat skills in battle. Amai stumbled, clenching his chest as the air was forced out of his lungs from the blow.

"You talk too much" Snek growled. He began to arch himself, ready to fight once more. "Come on Mask… I don't got all day!"

He stared into the eyes of Amai mask, but found it strange that the veins he usually kept hidden were starting to become visible! Snek was grinning. "Really… I got to bring out your dark side in this fight?"

"Wasting time…" Amai said. "Low rank!"

Snek began to slither around him, waiting for a moment the perfect moment, yet Amai was on to him. He wasn't going to wait for Snek so he decided to attack! Snek did something strange. He closed his eyes! One of his abilities was sensing heat, if Amai was too fast to see, he won't be too fast to sense.

Garou watched with great anticipation, as Snek was able to track Amai around the room with ease. He knew where he was! Yet once more Snek was stuck. A lot harder this time! He was went flying across the room and hit the ground harder than before. He skidded across the floor until the wall stopped him abruptly. Still, Amai didn't stop moving. He wasn't going to let himself be seen again. Snek however was quick to get up once more and get away from the wall. Just as another strike came for him! He avoided it in the nick of time, but saw the damage done to the wall. A four foot hole was made! Sweet Mask is no longer playing around!

Snek brought himself back to the middle of the room, it left him exposed but gave him the better option of landing a blow. With his eyes closed he sensed the heat once more, Amai was expelling a lot of it now with all his activity. It would be his greatest mistake!

Snek knew he was coming, and he was going to attack from behind. He has to time it just right. In perfect stillness, Snek then felt it. Amai coming in to end the battle once and for all! Snek was anticipating him this time. He weaved just in time as Amai's arm extended in an attempt to strike him down, Snek avoided Sweet Mask's fists but coiled around him mid strike! He lunged so fast the room jumped! Snek brought him to the ground and held him in place! Amai snickered to the move. "Really? You think you can bind me?" he demanded.

"Let's see you break free!"

Snek's coil tightened as Amai tried to dislodge himself. His one arm was stuck outside of the coil, his other pinned at his side, trapped in the vice. The death coil form, and yet Amai resisted. Snek could feel the strength of Sweet Mask as he nearly broke free from him many times over. Even with one arm, he was able to nearly break the hold. Snek felt Amai's strength as it nearly forced him to let go. But he refused to. Despite the punishment, pain, and the pressure Amai was forcing on his body,he endured.

Snek refused to yield!

Amai's bones began to stress, tighter and tighter Snek wrenched, and felt the air knocked out of Amai the more he constricted around him. The veins took over Sweet Mask's face. He struggled to breath.

"ENOUGH!" called Genos.

Instantly, Snek released him. "Was that time?" he asked.

"No, his lungs were about to collapse."

The room fell silent as Amai took deep breaths of air before healing himself. His face back to perfection, his breathing stabilized, Amai dusted himself off and stood ready once more. He shook off the event but turned to Genos. "Start again!" he ordered.

"The contest has been decided," Genos said defiantly. "Snek won, had he not released you, your lungs would have burst."

"You don't know that!" Amai snapped back.

"I scan all of the combatants throughout the contest. You were on the brink of suffocation." Genos said. "Snek won this contest."

"IN YOUR FACE!" shouted Hunter.

Amai glared bitterly; he turned that bitterness at Snek before announcing. "I won't acknowledge your victory here."

Snek smirked. "Fine by me, but I got a room of witnesses who will!"

Amai left without another word. Garou turned to the S Class and said. "Well?"

None of them said anything. No one wanted to admit it. Instead they walked away, yet Bang gave Garou a proud pat on his shoulder. Snek approached the others, tried to say the least, but he hurt and starting to feel the impact of Amai's strikes. "Damn…" were the first words from his mouth. "Everything aches!"

"You'll be feeling that for a little while." Then, Garou smiled. "Told you, didn't I." He said. His smirk grew as he turned to the others. "You rendered them speechless. If they didn't think you were worthy, they would have chewed out my ass by now! You proved yourselves today, as I have always told you." He turned to the three and smiled proudly. "You are all officially M Class Dragons!"